Grayson took over Leeds on December 22, 2008, and his first game in charge was the Boxing Day fixture away to Leicester in League One.

It is fitting, then, that they again head to the Walkers Stadium on Sunday.

But while the opponents are the same, much has changed at Leeds, who beat leaders QPR last week to sit just three points off the summit as they bid for a return to the Barclays Premier League.

'It's gone very quickly,' Grayson said of his time in charge. 'I was very proud when I came back and joined and I'm still immensely proud.

'My first port of call was to get back to winning ways which we did and try and improve the home form so we could give our own fans something to shout about.

'After that it was about getting out of League One which we achieved on the final day of last season.

'Anything else we've achieved in the meantime has been good, but promotion was obviously the main aim and we did that.

'There's been lots of good moments and I'm very proud of what we've achieved as a football club.'

Leicester have designs on promotion themselves but the 3-0 loss at snowy Ipswich last time out left them six points off the play-off places.

You're in our sights: Leeds United's Luciano Becchio (right) will be looking to go level with QPR with a defeat of Leicester

If fourth-placed Swansea get a result at Loftus Road, Leeds could catch QPR with a victory.

However, a Swansea win could cut both ways for Leeds, as if they suffered a defeat against Leicester, they could find themselves below the Welsh club in the table.

Happy anniversary? Leeds boss Simon Grayson

With all the clubs so close together - third-placed Cardiff are also just one point behind Leeds - there are many permutations, and Swansea striker Scott Sinclair is trying to avoid thinking about anything but getting three points.

'I think if we go into this game with a lot of confidence and not worry about what's been happening, and make sure we get a result then that will give the team an extra bit of confidence,' he said.

Cardiff are at home to sixth-placed Coventry, while Norwich, who sit fifth, four points from the top, travel to struggling Crystal Palace.

Coventry, in the final play-off place, have a four-point cushion over Reading, but the Royals will hope they can narrow that gap when they take on Bristol City.

Middlesbrough, above the drop zone on goal difference only, take on eighth-placed Nottingham Forest at the Riverside, aware that basement club Preston go head to head with second-bottom Scunthorpe - where a win for either side would put Boro in the bottom three if they fail to beat Forest.

Elsewhere, John Carver will hope to boost his chances of keeping the Sheffield United job permanently with a win over Hull, while Portsmouth entertain Millwall, Barnsley take on Burnley, Doncaster head to Derby and Ipswich tackle Watford.